Conference Report: Rethinking Deterrence and Assurance

Dear Reader,
In June 2015 the NDC Research Division was pleased once again to be able to co-sponsor an annual international conference on nuclear and deterrence issues in Great Britain.

Convened in the lovely confines of Wiston House in Wilton Park, near Steyning, West Sussex, England, and in the shadow of Russia’s continuing efforts to destabilize Ukraine, the two-day seminar examined NATO’s assessment of the changed security environment and the threat posed by Russia’s evolving approach to contemporary conflict.

Discussions focused on Moscow’s worldview and the sources of its conduct, its doctrine and capabilities, and the specific challenge of understanding the nature and implications of “hybrid warfare” as practiced by Russia. Participants also debated how best to bolster NATO deterrence and defence in the near-term, the appropriate strategies to counter hybrid warfare over the longer-term, whether and how to adapt NATO’s nuclear posture going forward, and the utility of sanctions and other policies of economic coercion in seeking changes in Russian behaviour.

We hope you enjoy reading this well-written report by a close friend who has been a keen observer of international security and strategic issues for many years.